Security contractor can seek damages from CNN over Afghan war profiteer report

Members of the all-female Zohra Orchestra, from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, wait in line as they prepare to board an evacuation flight out of Kabul, Afghanistan, in October 2021. The contractor, Zachary Young, said CNN destroyed his business by including him in a segment by chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt, which focused on how Afghans were being charged high prices by evacuation services. Young, the only person mentioned by name in the segment, said the report gave the false impression that he was involved in illegal activity and exploited “desperate Afghans.” Florida Judge William S. Henry had previously ruled that Young’s actions did not violate any laws and that he never took any money directly from Afghans. Marquardt’s story, which first aired on “The Lead With Jake Tapper,” reported that “Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.” CNN removed the term “black market” from the web version of the report after Young complained, and the network issued an on-air apology on March 25, 2022, clarifying that he was not involved in illegal activity. Evidence in the case includes text messages from CNN journalists describing Young as a “s—bag” and “a—.” There was also a text that said, “we gonna nail this Young mf—.” There are also emails from editors raising questions as to whether the story was ready to air.